November 26, 2012

Dear Fam-I-Gram,

I am glad that you liked the package.  I still have not received mine from the offices but I asked the zone leaders about it and they said they will retrieve it for me on the 5th of December, so hopefully all is good in that category! And I really enjoyed the photos. I was going to send my sombrero but they wanted 800 mas pesos and I said No Puede Ser which means it cant be... So I ended up not sending it. But at least all of you got what I could send! I wrote a list of what thing goes to whom. So I hope you can give those gifts to whom it corresponds. Our investigators are iffy right now because each one has a situation but at least it is a challenge. This week my companion and I are going to see who really wants to progress and if they do not we have to stop visiting them for awhile because we can only teach those who complete our commitments. But Elder Molina and I are a good team. It is in this precise moment when Indiana and Lima, Peru unite :) haha But yeah I think I will be leaving the Rosa this next transfer in the 14 of December. And Elder Molina told me that it is best if I give you the number of the family that I will be with and you call me so that I dont have to worry about all that card and time stuff. 

 

Also each person receives the Book of Mormon and its doctrine differently depending on how prepared they are. Only the spirit can testify of it's divinity and sometimes we do not have control over that segment. But I can tell that our lessons and my knowledge of where the scriptures are and how to use them is increasing. I love the scriptures :) Also I have a funny story to tell that happened yesterday morning before church..: Elder Molina was in the back room and I was studying in 2 Nephi 9.. When I heard someone knocking on the door (7am in the morning) So I went over to the door thinking it was the zone leaders or something like that. But when I opened the door a smidge it was a lady around 50ish years old and I was a tad bewildered. But I only had a second to think when she barged in our house and told us she was going to sit down. And she started rambling about Joseph Smith because she was super drunk... I had no idea what to do. So Elder Molina and I were trying everything to get her out of our house because it was odd.. She fell asleep there in that chair for a good 20 minutes. Elder Molina was yelling that she had to leave and I was clapping really loud to try to wake her. So finally Elder Molina and I grabbed one arm each and we picked her up and we were helping her to her house when she said leave me and she took off. It was a really odd experience that is for sure. But the thing is while she was rambling, she told us that she was baptized in our church 10 years ago and she knows she should not drink but she couldn't stop. It just made me really grateful that we have commandments however strict they may seem to be because they protect us from the dangerous world that Satan is preparing for us. Each experience here on my mission is accompanied by a sweet lesson :) I hope you all know I have much love for you all and for our Father in Heaven!

Elder Cramer

November 19 Letter

Dear fam,

It is hard for me to think that I will be 20 as well. Sometimes I just want to be like Peter Pan and never age because 20 is aging. But my zone leader is 27 years old so I don't feel very bad after hearing that... Also I am glad to get the updates for cada persona in our family. It is funny how things escolate when I am gone haha. Breanna looks like she has 18 years of age, Ryan will be goliath, Carli in college, a temple, Vanessa with like 5 kids (he is just kidding), and you and mom looking like p90x models. My oh my the blessings of the mission :) But yeah things here are good. My companion has 20 months already in his mission. He served one cambio in Peru because he could not get his visa for a little bit. He is really cool and is in tune with the spirit. He is a bit shy though so sometimes I have to take the lead with stuff but that is okay with me :) I am so stoked because all of my friends are leaving for their missions! Jake goes to Uruguay, Brendon goes to Brazil, and My friend Elizabeth will receive her call in like 2 weeks. I bet every call that we receive a small fiesta in heaven starts because of the blessings that will come for generations and generations to come. I am hoping that I will stay here in this area for Christmas because changes are on the 14th of December.. So it would be a bit down if I didn't know anyone for Christmas. But only God knows what is best for me anyways :) Dad where did you get those pictures that you had in your sciptures. They are like see through and I would like to put some in my scriptures as well to easily find stories. I think they are in your spanish scriptures if I remember correctly. And also something that I noticed this week is how you must have felt when I was little and you always invited me to go to church, read the scriptures, or to obey commandments and I didn't want to or you had to fight me to do it'  Many times that is what we are doing when we give people challenges to read or to go to the church because really we know of the blessings that will follow but when they do not complete them I feel really sad. So mom and dad, thanks for always inviting me to be obedient :D This week I got to dedicate a house because they were feeling some weird spirits so I was happy to do that for them. I had to use my little manual because it was the first time for that. I was humbled this Sunday in the church because we did not have many people attend in regards to less actives which we usually do. It is always good to get a subtle reminder every once in awhile :) Dad can you get me the email of Jace? I want to let her know I am still a warrior as I just finished the first phase of p90x in the mornings. I am waking up at like 5:45 everyday to workout. I feel more alive during the day when I give my body a bit of a challenge :D Thanks for all of the support and I love you all very much. I hope my package was received :) I couldn't send the sombrero because it costed a ton!! 

Love Elder Cramer

#1 Here is the beautiful mountains in the background of my area!

#2 Also some ponies that my neighbors here have

#3 And finally a member that we reactivated this Sunday and he is way sweet :)

November 12, 2012

Dear Family!

This week seemed very long but at the same time looking back on it very short as well. I like this saying because it is very true.  The days are long and the weeks are short as a missionary. La Rosa is  a ward with about 115 people consistantly. But the one thing that was a tad frustrating for me this week was that my companion and I brought 11 less actives to the church and 5 of them reactivated this week (which means they went 3 times and no longer are less actives). But then all of a sudden like 30 of our active members did not go to the church. So we still only have like 115 people! I did feel the help of the Lord like no other this Sunday.  Bishop did not have 2 speakers show up so that left me to give a 10 minute talk about the missionary work. I had a whole 5 minutes to come up with a 10 minute talk. So I said a prayer during one of the hymns and that butterfly scared sensation left me really fast. It was my first talk in front of people in Spanish and I was surprised how easily words came to my mind. I talked about how in Alma 29, Alma wishes he could be an angel to preach all of his days because that is what brings us joy. I talked about 3 Nephi 12 that the members are the Light and they cannot hide that light. I talked about in D&C 6 that it does not matter if people do not accept this gospel because they will continue to receive blessings for trying and if they do receive the members will receive joy for their work. I felt like I was not alone talking in front of everyone. Also my new companion is from Lima Peru. His name is Elder Molina. He will share the final testimony on my memory card that I will be sending you guys tomorrow. It has some presents, candy, and my memory card. Also that picture of Breanna is crazy because she looks like a woman. I did not authorize anything of that sort to happen. Also I wish you good luck dad with your talk that's coming up. I know you will be given the right words to say for the right people that need to hear them at this moment in time. P90x is going really well and I am getting my new delgado companion started on doing it. If you can tell Jace for me that I am still going strong I would appreciate it!  I got the email from Jake about his mission and I was so happy. We will talk in spanish underneath la cama.  I hope you all know I love you and I am working hard here in Mexico.

At the end of the year because we will be receiving about 50 more missionaries because of the new age, our changes will no longer be every 6 weeks but rather every 4 weeks so we will have to see how all of that works out!

Viva En Mexico!

Elder Cramer

Oh!

An experience that I forgot to share in my letter to the family!

This week like Wednesday I worked all day with my companion but I am not sure why after our last lesson my stomache hurt really bad. I tried to fall asleep. But in the middle of the night I was vomitting for 4 hours outside our house and felt really weak and my companion was sleeping. But in this moment I felt really alone and in the middle of nowhere so for the first time in a long time I prayed out loud and asked for strength and that I would feel better in my time of need. Not too long after that I fell fast asleep and in the morning I was fully functional once more and I worked fully throughout the week again. It was evidence to me that God is waiting to answer us when we are in need and sometimes small examples like that are great reminders to strengthen our testimony!

Elder Cramer

1. Elder Sosa, Hno Macias, yo, Elder Molina

2. Elder Sosa y yo with Hermano y Hermana Lopez

3. Me in the area

4. Hermana Gloria and her daughter that we reactived this sunday

November 5 letter

Dear Family!

What has happened since I have been here in La Rosa is that I came and Elder Ruiz was my companion. He changed to another area and I have Elder Sosa right now. He leaves for his house in 2 days and today came Elder Molina. He is from Peru. So for 2 days there are three of us living in our house. Elder Molina has 19 months on his mission so far and appears to be way cool. So I am looking forward to the following weeks here. But I am sad that mi amigo Elder Sosa has to leave. I only had him as a companion 2 weeks but he is awesome. And I don't have that card (phone card) anymore but I am hoping we can skype at Christmas time dad. Because that is what a lot of people do here instead of calling the family! And I am not sure if the package has arrived yet or not. The thing is it arrives in the offices and we don't get it until our leaders come and bring it to us. Also I have my package ready to send to you (Sunbrero, small presents for the fam, Letter, and my memory card from my camera) But I am trying to find a box to put it in. I am not sure how much it will cost but hopefully not toooo much to send to you all. I want it to come to the house before Christmas. And we don't have zone conference very often maybe once a cambio (zone conference) or something like that. And I am so happy that Kolten wants to serve a mission. That and Ryan are one of the biggest reasons I want to be a good example. I know that both of them will touch lives like no other. And I'll keep sending pictures as well :)

Thanks for all that you do and I am glad to be a Cramer and a missionary for the Lord!

Love Elder Cramer

The photos below are about the families I go to church with.  I also wanted to share the donkey photos of course.
photo 1- Logan taking charge of the donkey cart!!
photo 2-Hermana Ramona we reactivated her in the church this Sunday
photo 3- Jorge, we are going to reactivate him in this church if he goes one more time

photo 4- Karla Elena, new investigator and she went to the church this Sunday for the first time